Apple Juice

My apple trees have been producing a delicious variety of apples for a couple of months now, but with fall in the air, they are literally falling off the trees. A few years ago I found a nursery with espaliered apple trees. One tree I purchased has six main limbs all of which are a […]

Stuffed eggplant – Santorini style

This dish is simply delicious! I had it for lunch and dinner today. Serve it with a salad and your meal is complete. Thanks for sharing this great recipe with me, Chef George, from Santorini! Ingredients: Eggplant (quantity to be determined by how much you wish to serve per person) Aged parmesan Extra virgin olive oil 2-3 […]

Preparing vegetables healthfully

A chef from Santorini, Greece showed me a very simple way to prepare vegetables, leveraging the local produce he had bought from the farmer’s market that day. I can’t wait to do this at home with my own vegetables. He took a metal pan with sides about 4″ tall and added sliced and chopped vegetables […]

Must-have hat

A gardening hat is a necessity for me, especially if I’m in the garden in the afternoon when the sun is at its peak. Call it my fair skin or paranoia of prematurely aging my skin, but I will wear just about any hat that will give me protection from the sun’s harmful rays – and I’ve tried quiet a few.

Mission Figs

I am getting my second (main) harvest of Black Mission figs. Mission fig trees produce two harvests a year, one in spring (breba) and again in late summer or early fall. I picked a big basket this morning. The figs are so delicious eaten right off the tree, but I decided to prepare them for […]

Structure in a Turkish garden

The Museum Hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey is a beautiful spot to either stay or have a meal while visiting the incredible rock formations and cave dwellings of this region. If you choose to stay at the Museum Hotel, be sure to have an early morning breakfast one on the terrace (5:30) and watch the 100+ balloons […]

Island Garden

I just attended a wedding on the island of Nantucket. This small island 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod is a gem and worth a visit. Once the whaling capital of the world, Nantucket is now a tourist destination and summer colony. The whole island is one big beautiful garden surrounded by beautiful […]

Less is more

Loved our recent visit to Nymphenburg Palace, located in Munich, Germany this fall. The palace was the main summer residence of the former rulers of Bavaria, from the House of Wittelsbach. This dynasty ruled the Germany territory of Bavaria from 1180 to 1918. The last remaining family member, since 1996, is Franz, Duke of Bavaria […]

And the winner is…

Tomato season is winding down and it’s time to evaluate the tomato varieties I planted this year to determine what I will plant next year. I chose six this summer: Sun Sugar, Sweet 100s, Old Brooks, New Girl, Gold Medal and San Marzano. To me, Sun Sugar and Sweet 100s are staple varieties. I can’t imagine […]

Plugging in the “holes”

I don’t know about you, but “holes” in my flower bed drive me crazy. I like a fullness. And now is the perfect time to start filling in these holes, as the weather is cooling down. I went to two nurseries this weekend – Central Valley in St. Helena and VanWinden’s in Napa to shop around

Sun protection

The only downside to being in the garden is working under the damaging rays of the sun. Vicki and I have found many ways to work around this and one of our favorite solutions is this fabulous shirt from Coolibar. It’s called the Adventure Shirt and it comes in several fun colors. (Check out these shirts at different […]

Caprese Salad

One of my favorite salads during tomato season is the caprese salad. I made this salad last night, loaded with fresh tomatoes, cucumber and basil from my garden. If you’ll notice, I have several different varieties of tomatoes in this salad – Gold Medal (an unbelievably delicious large variety), Sweet 100s, Sun Sugar (the sweet tiny […]

Haricots Vert

Part of the fun and personalization of gardening is planting vegetables that my family enjoys. My husband, for example, LOVES haricots vert (as do I). So, this year I planted four of these bush beans and we have been enjoying them all summer long. There are a handful of tips for growing haricots vert. First, […]

Fresh Basil Pesto

Yield: Makes 1 cup Ingredients: 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed firmly 1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup pine nuts 3 medium sized garlic cloves Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Directions: Combine the basil with the pine nuts and pulse a few times in a food processor. Add […]

Pink Parfait

This beautiful twining evergreen vine displays unusual, double, trumpet-like flowers with a darker pink throat. I have it growing by my front door up a hand-cut hog wire trellis.